Prosecutors consider retrial after Clancy jury deadlock

A Massachusetts jury weighing murder charges against Lindsay Clancy — accused of killing her three young children in January 2023 — told a judge Wednesday afternoon that it is deadlocked, raising the possibility of a mistrial and forcing prosecutors and defense attorneys to decide whether to retry the case.

The jury’s note to Judge William Sullivan came after four days of deliberations in a trial that has gripped the state since it began in late June. Prosecutors allege Clancy strangled her children — 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan — during a psychotic break triggered by postpartum depression and psychosis. Her defense team argues she was legally insane at the time, unable to understand the nature or consequences of her actions.

Sullivan did not declare a mistrial immediately. Instead, he sent the jurors back for further deliberations, urging them to review the evidence carefully and consider the instructions he had given them earlier. “Your job is to continue to review the facts and reach a verdict if you can,” Sullivan told the panel. The judge’s decision to press on reflects the difficulty of the case and the high stakes involved.

If the jury remains deadlocked after further deliberations, Sullivan could declare a mistrial and declare a hung jury. That would leave prosecutors with a choice: retry Clancy or drop the charges. Legal analysts say a second trial would be emotionally taxing for the community and the families involved, but not unprecedented. In 2018, a Massachusetts jury deadlocked in the case of Michelle Carter, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for encouraging her boyfriend’s suicide via text messages. Carter was later retried and convicted. In Clancy’s case, the outcome remains uncertain, but the legal and emotional fallout could reshape how postpartum mental health crises are treated in the criminal justice system.